1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to testing of electronic devices. In one aspect, the present invention relates to integrated circuit testing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In integrated circuit manufacturing, the functionality of the integrated circuit devices is typically tested before completing component assembly by using a conduction or probe test. A typical probe test is conducted by pressing a probe (e.g., lead, prod, contact or needle) against a probe test device of the integrated circuit device under test (DUT) to allow electronic test equipment to test the operation of the DUT. In this way, each integrated circuit die of a semiconductor wafer can be tested to determine if the operational characteristics for the die are within specified limits. However, conventional probe test devices can fail to detect device failures with sensitive circuits, or can alter or impair the performance of such sensitive circuits.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and methodology for performing probe tests of an integrated circuit die to address various problems in the art that have been discovered by the above-named inventors. Various limitations and disadvantages of conventional solutions and technologies will become apparent to one of skill in the art after reviewing the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings and detailed description which follow, though it should be understood that this description of the limitations and disadvantages is not intended to serve as an admission that the limitations and disadvantages are known.